A little girl has smiled for the first time in months thanks to the generosity of Gazette readers.The image of cerebral palsy sufferer Kaylie King lying helplessly on a beanbag struck a chord with Teessiders.

Hundreds dug deep in their pockets and raised a staggering #7,823 to buy the two-year-old a specialist chair that would improve her quality of life by sitting her upright, aiding her breathing and improving her posture.And now the long-awaited chair has finally arrived and rosy-cheeked Kaylie is sitting upright alongside her family, looking like a princess on a throne.

Mum Maria, 26, said: "We're so happy. She's like a different girl already. She hadn't smiled for a long time, but since she got in the chair we've had a couple of smiles and smirks. It's lovely to see."

Dad Paul, 39, explained how before the arrival of the piece of hi-tech equipment, which has been tailor-made for Kaylie, the poorly youngster would just lie on the floor of the family home in Aviemore Court, Darlington, and sleep all day.

But now, as the tot sits in her new chair, her eyes are wide open and alert and even though she has poor eyesight and hearing, she appears to follow the sounds and movements of her family around her.

Paul said: "She's so much more alert to what's going on. We don't know exactly how much she can hear or see, so stimulation is very important.

"The chair's brilliant because we can move her around with us or put her in front of the telly for stimulation."

Kaylie was born at 25 weeks, weighing just 1lb 6oz, but was healthy despite being born so prematurely.

Then in October, 2004, aged seven months, she caught bronchiolitis and was starved of oxygen for 23 minutes, which resulted in cerebral palsy.

Kaylie has the most severe form of the condition, with no control of her limbs or neck. She can move only a little, is registered blind and can barely hear.

She depends on oxygen and is fed by a tube straight into her stomach.

Kaylie's parents, who have two other children Jamie, ten, and Leah, six, and are expecting a fourth, had lobbied Darlington Primary Care Trust for months to try to get the specialist chair for their daughter.

But they were told that despite her condition Kaylie was not a "priority" and therefore could not have the #2,124 equipment.

But after the Gazette told Kaylie's heartbreaking story, the donations flooded in and within days, the target had been surpassed.

Children moved by the youngster's plight emptied their piggy banks and the sums that poured into the Gazette ranged from #2 in coins handed in by pensioners desperate to do their bit to a bumper #3,500 cheque from one Stockton couple

A total of #7,823 was raised enabling the family not only to purchase the chair, but also to buy a new car seat and other sensory equipment, which will help with their daughter's development.